211. Danger in Speculative Knowledge

Today’s reading: “The Ministry of Healing” pp. 427–428a.

Our first parents were led into sin through indulging a desire for knowledge that God had withheld from them.

“Forbidden” is an old-fashioned word, not used much now, but it occurs twice in today’s reading.

There is an appropriate sphere of human reasoning. It isn’t speculating on God’s,

• creation
• works
• nature
• attributes, His qualities and features
• prerogatives, His rights and privileges.

This is forbidden ground. The same field into which Satan allured Adam and Eve. Today Satan is still “flooding the world with pleasing fables” regarding God, for the purpose of preventing us from obtaining God’s “true knowledge” as we read last week, knowledge that brings salvation, blessings and everlasting joy.

Speculative knowledge, in contrast, brings only,

• sin and its dire results
• estrangement from God and separation from heaven
• peril to the soul
• useless conclusions
• displacement of saving knowledge.

I guess that is why it is forbidden. Tomorrow we read about one of these currently resurgent, “pleasing fables”.

Index to “The Ministry of Healing” readings.

Previous | Next